Apsara Long Beach, a proposed 161-unit development at 400 E. Anaheim St., is one of thousands of housing developments being proposed across the country. But unlike those projects, it could alter the way we zone for residential and how we develop our inclusionary ordinances. (That latter being the way we require developers to include affordable units in their projects.)
If approved, the complex would be built upon demolition of the existing 9,000-square-foot commercial building at the southeast corner of Anaheim Street and Elm Avenue. With it, a new, seven-story, 215,000-square-foot development would be featured. It would comprise of 161 units, 106 bike stalls, and 91 parking spaces. This along with 6,556 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
And the coolest part? It will include 38 moderately affordable units. And that’s much bigger than it sounds—but it will have to go through an exemption in order to happen.
“The City is very excited and enthusiastic about this project,” said Christopher Koontz, director of Community Development and the lead City partner working with Burnham Development principal Derek Burnham to see its push through the entitlement process. “This stretch of Anaheim has not seen a lot of investment, in decades, and this project is really important.”
Why is the Apsara Long Beach project so groundbreaking in terms of zoning and development?
“Long Beach has been through the throes of gentrification. We’re a pretty tenacious city. And that means we have the power to choose the way we want to see mold for the future. And that’s the ultimate point of the project. It’s to give voice to the people who have long been here and are getting pushed out”
These are the words of Cameron Hildreth, principal at Hilco Development and lead on the Apsara Long Beach project. With affordable housing developers receiving lucrative incentives from the state to construct low-income housing and market-rate developers reaping the benefits of high rent costs, the gap in between is often referred to as “the missing middle.” (More on that below.) With Apsara Long Beach, working-class families have a chance to actually live in their city without a huge majority of their income going toward rent.
Apsara Long Beach is also trying to shift the social character of developments to fit into the community it is built in.
Yes, the development features an amenity deck that includes a pool—a rarity in any affordable project. Yes, there are two large community gathering areas for with fire pits for parties, spaces for cookouts, room for quinces, and, of course, pool days. But perhaps the most beautiful aspects of how Apsara wanrts to shift the social character of developments in the city lies in its two biggest partnerships.
One space will have a Long Beach Grocery Co-op location, a community-owned and operated grocery store that will be available for residents and patrons. Like much more walking-centric cities—think Tokyo or Copenhagen—Apsara wants essential amenities to be far more easily accesible.
“The Long Beach Grocery Co-op owners are thrilled to be the foundation not only for this project, but also for the whole community,” said founding board member and owner Sheila Anderzunas. “This new building shares our values and this year’s theme that co-operatives build a better world. The owners of LBGCo-op have waited a long time for this opportunity and could not be more excited.”
Connecting Apsara to Cambodia Town.
“We wanted to give Cambodia Town some branding and presence,” Cameron said. “They gave us literature on Cambodian design and aesthetics—which we incorporated along the way, having them check in on them to see if it works with their community. We’re also working with a muralist from Phnom Penh. We’re flying him out here so we’re pretty excited about that.”
They are working with Cambodia Town leaders—specifically Richer San—on having Apsara Long Beach act as a gateway into Cambodia Town.
“In 2023, we received an email from Cameron expressing interest in meeting with us about his residential development on Anaheim Street, just a block west of the Cambodia Town district. We agreed to learn more about his vision over a meeting at Sophy’s restaurant. Cameron, who grew up in the area and has lived in Cambodia Town for about 10 years, shared how attending the Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival had deeply inspired his appreciation for Khmer culture and the arts.
“He sought our support in incorporating Khmer artwork into the facade of his upcoming development. We recommended that he host a booth at the Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival to showcase his project and gather community feedback, which he did. At the festival, he connected with a Khmer artist from Phnom Penh, and the two began collaborating on a series of art pieces.”
Why does Apsara Long Beach need an exemption?
But in order to move forward, it must apply for an exemption because our inclusionary ordinance requires the construction of low-, very low-, or extremely-low units—not moderately affordable ones.
“This site is in the area that got a new zoning designation back in 2018,” Derek said. “So we went back and forth with the City on what the density would be… In this back-and-forth, we found that not only did it make economic sense but also communal sense to offer moderately affordable units. And our planner, Sergio Guitierrez, has really done a stellar job in assuring that we made the best effort we could to get this project to the finish line.”
What is the “missing middle”—and how did we get here?
There has been a critical shortage of housing. And in California, that largely lies between single-family homes and large apartment complexes. One is clearly more expensive than the other when it comes to who resides in what. This is all systemic. Restrictive zoning laws have long favored single-family residences since the mid-20th century. The lack of diverse housing types has led to limited affordable options for low- to moderate-income households, with most existing affordable housing stock dating back to deteriorating structures of the early 20th century. Minneapolis and Minnesota addressed this issue by eliminating single-family zoning in 2020. How? They allowed multi-unit developments in all residential zones to increase housing diversity and affordability.
This has led to a rightfully needed focus on more dense, more affordable housing. But when it comes to what is federally defined as “affordable,” that focus has been on—again, rightfully in many senses—those in the most extreme of needs. We’re talking about individuals who earn anywhere from 80% or less of the median income of a given area. However, that metric overlooks a significant group of individuals. And that is those earning 80% to 120% of the median income. They are considered too “wealthy” to qualify for affordable housing vouchers and too poor to afford market-rate housing.
This is called “the missing middle.” And Aspara is a bold attempt to help fill that gap.
Wait—so then what, exactly, is “affordable housing” if doesn’t include all forms of affordability?
What the average citizen likely doesn’t know is that when most politicians and developers are talking about “affordable units,” they are not talking general affordability. Or, in other words, the type of affordability that is just a strictly tell-me-the-rent-cost type of affordability. They are referring to federally defined affordability, or what I often call Affordable Housing with a Capital A.
Formal affordable housing typically requires tenants to earn only a particular portion of the median income within a given area to access it. Low-income families are federally defined as those earning 80% or less of the median income within a given area. This definition encompasses very low-income (average median income) and extremely low-income (less than 30-50% of the average median income).
This is where the public conversation about affordability and formal affordable housing becomes convoluted: many simply want to discuss general affordability, while politicians and developers almost exclusively focus on federally defined affordable housing.
Apsara Long Beach is expected to face the Planning Commission in the coming months.
Editor’s Note: This article originally mistated the project’s name as “Aspara;” it’s been corrected.
Brian, please have someone be your copy editor, or at least take 5 minutes to read what you’ve written, you’ve referred to the development as Aspara but the rendering clearly says “Apsara”, likely referencing the traditional Cambodian dance.
DOH. Fixed. And we even had the developer read it over beforehand, haha.